Bottles of cheap, counterfeit vodka, which it's claimed could lead to blindness and even death if drunk, have been discovered on sale in Hatfield.

Hertfordshire Trading Standards say 44 bottles of counterfeit Glenís Vodka have been seized around the county.

They say the 70cl bottles of the spirit, which has not been through the company's strict distilling process, have been confiscated and samples sent for analysis.

"Businesses and consumers need to take extra care when buying Glenís Vodka - especially from an unusual source," said County Councillor Richard Smith, executive member for community safety.

"Make sure that you verify the authenticity of the vodka. Do not be tempted to buy the cheap version as its strength and effect cannot be certified. In past cases, counterfeit vodka has proved to be very dangerous to people's health and can cause blindness and even death."

Genuine Glen's Vodka 70cl can be easily identified. It comes in bottles supplied by Allied Glass Containers with a small AGC logo on the base. The following information is also embossed in the glass around 5mm from the base: 70cl 58mm C12173. Any bottle of Glen's Vodka 70cl without this marking is counterfeit.

Counterfeit bottles found so far have the following codes embossed in the glass: SE607 700ml 66mm, 8509 700ml 66mm, 7828 700ml 66mm. Glen Catrine does not use any of these bottles for its 70cl Glen's Vodka.

The front and back labels on the counterfeit bottles bottle appear to be self-adhesive as there is no visible glue pattern.

Genuine Glen's Vodka 70cl labels are applied by a labelling machine using a wet adhesive which produces a distinctive glue pattern on the back of the label (horizontal lines approximately 2mm apart).

Anyone who has purchased or been offered cheap Glen's Vodka should contact Consumer Direct, the Government helpline which offers free impartial advice to consumers, on 08454 04 05 06.
Unfortunately we donít have any records of what the front page of the site looked like when it launched, but there are records of later editions from the web archive site.

This item has been added to the site because vodka is a popular drink with young people who might be tempted by cheap offers. You can discuss this issue in this site's forum.